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Visitors Groups

Our member visitor groups visit and support people in every detention centre and short term holding facility in the UK, as well as in a number of prisons.

All visitors groups are independent, but work with AVID and each other to ensure that detainees across the UK have access to the emotional and practical support of a volunteer visitor, to share best practice, and to promote a collective voice for change based on detainees' real life experiences.

Befriending and support team for foreign nationals in HMP Wandsworth (BEST) visits and supports people being detained post-sentence under immigration control and foreign national prisoners at HMP Wandsworth in London.

Detention Action visits and supports people being detained in Harmondsworth and Colnbrook detention centres, near Heathrow Airport, as well as providing welfare support workshops at several London prisons.

Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (GDWG) visit and provide support and advocacy to detainees held at Tinsley House and Brook House detention centres and Cedars pre-departure accommodation for families, near Gatwick Airport.

Manchester Immigration Detainee Support Team (MIDST) is a volunteer-run group that visits and supports men and women being detained at Manchester STHF, a short-term holding facility at Manchester Airport.

SOAS Detainee Support group is a student-led organisation based at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). The group’s volunteers visit and support people being held at Harmondsworth and Colnbrook detention centres near Heathrow, London, and Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire.